The London Guantánamo has been campaigning since 2006 for the return of all British residents from the Guantánamo Bay prison camp, the release of all prisoners, the closure of this prison and other similar prisons and an end to the practice of extraordinary rendition. Human rights for all.

Monday, April 29, 2013

Almost all of the remaining 166 prisoners at Guantánamo
Bay have been on hunger
strike since around 6 February. Held for over 11 years, more than
half of the prisoners have been cleared for release and only 6 face charges. Of
those 6, in the case of at least two prisoners, the evidence has clearly been
obtained through torture, including waterboarding. They face no prospect of a
fair trial. Ignored by the mainstream media, failed by the Red Cross who left
Guantánamo Bay one day before the military
used plastic bullets and force against starving, weakened men, and
the governments of the states they are from, we call on all citizens of the
world to take a stand for justice and join us, as the hunger strike enters its
100th day on 17 May, in a global weekend of action.

In the words of the last prisoner to die at Guantánamo
Bay, Adnan
Latif:

They are
artists of torture,

They are
artists of pain and fatigue,

They are
artists of insults and humiliation.

Where is
the world to save us from torture?

Where is
the world to save us from the fire and sadness?

Where is
the world to save the hunger strikers?

We invite
you wherever you are to join in a global day of fasting and protest action
wherever you are. What does this involve?

Fasting
action:

For this
action, we suggest that people fast a minimum of from dawn to dusk, with or without liquids, or some may
prefer longer fasts of 24 hours, at
the discretion of the person fasting. If you choose a 24 hour fast, you may
consider a sponsored action to raise more awareness.You can fast one, two or all three days.

Spread
the word: If you are a member of a faith community, ask your religious
leader to mention it during a sermon on that weekend: Friday sermon for Muslims
on 17 May, and ask Jewish and Christian faith leaders to the same on the
Saturday and Sunday as well as other faith or secular groups.

If you are a
teacher or a student, you could organise an assembly about the hunger strike at
your school on 17 May.

If you are
on Twitter, you can join in or follow the lead up to the action on the day by
using the hashtags #GitmoHungerStrike and #May17 #May18 #May19.

Most
importantly, please let us know what you are doing and/or planning! Be a part
of this global citizen action.

If you
are in the UK and are planning an action, represent an organisation
that would like to support this action or get involved
(individual/organisation), please get in touch with us: london.gtmo@gmail.com

As part of this action, a demonstration will be held in London on Saturday 18 May at 3-6pm outside the National Gallery, Trafalgar Square. All are welcome to join us: www.facebook.com/events/113404248830109/

The e-petition calling for the return of Shaker Aamer to the UK closed
on 20 April with over 117,000 signatures http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/33133
Many thanks to everyone who signed the petition and worked hard to get others
to sign.

The result of the hard work by campaigners across the UK and Shaker
Aamer’s MP Jane Ellison (Conservative: Battersea) was that his case was
discussed by the Backbench Committee which Ms Ellison is a member of leading to
a public debate on 24 April. At the debate, Ms Ellison and other backbench MPs
were able to put questions to Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt. In the
debate, the transcript of which can be read here: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmhansrd/cm130424/halltext/130424h0001.htm#13042445000001
Ms Ellison coherently put forward the case for Mr Aamer’s release to the UK,
given the fact that the US does not consider him a threat and cleared him for
release over 6 years ago. She was supported by other backbench MPs including
Caroline Lucas (Green), Yasmin Qureshi, Kerry McCarthy, Jeremy Corbyn and John
McDonnell (Labour). Mr McDonnell asked for the Foreign Secretary to raise
concerns with the US ambassador “to say that this
Government have had enough” and
asked that the Prime Minister call Barack Obama to insist on the release of
Shaker Aamer. However, in spite of a well-attended debate in which relevant
questions raised by MPs concerning why Mr Aamer continues to remain at
Guantanamo Bay more than 11 years after he was kidnapped, Mr Burt’s responses
were largely those given by the government over the past 6 years or so and he
provided no firm assurances on any of the questions posed. He also stated that
the Foreign Office accepted assurances from the US that Shaker Aamer’s health
was being taken care of and that he had only been cleared for transfer to Saudi
Arabia. In response to a question from Caroline Lucas MP, who described the
debate as “increasingly Kafkaesque”, as to why the US will not release Shaker
Aamer, Mr Burt replied “I have a supposition about why
the United States might want to retain Mr Aamer” but did not comment further on this.

Jane Ellison will return to the Backbench Committee and will seek to set
up a formal debate with a motion on Shaker Aamer’s return being voted on in
parliament. This may take place at the end of next month or June. There was good
cross-party representation at the debate, showing the importance of Mr Aamer’s
case and the closure of Guantánamo Bay to all parties, yet the Liberal
Democrats were noticeably absent and not represented at the debate.

On the Sunday prior to the debate, the following article by Shaker Aamer
was published in the Observer newspaper: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/apr/21/shaker-aamer-guantanamo-bay
in which he described the horror of the hunger strike he has been on for over
two months and the violence faced by prisoners; he concluded by stating “I hope I do not die in this awful place. I want to hug my children
and watch them as they grow. But if it is God's will that I should die here, I
want to die with dignity. I hope, if the worst comes to the worst, that my
children will understand that I cared for the rights of those suffering around
me almost as much as I care for them.”

The current hunger strike at Guantánamo Bay has gone beyond 80 days with
no sign of an end in sight. Although the prison officials currently put the
number of prisoners on hunger strike at over 100 with almost 20 being force fed
to keep them alive and almost a dozen having passed out due to weakness, their
lawyers maintain that nearly all of the prisoners, more than 130 have been on
hunger strike since early February. The situation that many of them face is
critical. Doctors state that after 50 days on hunger strike, organ failure and
permanent internal damage can ensue; thus, even if this hunger strike does not
prove to be fatal in the short term, it may be so in the longer term. Of the
seven out of nine deaths at Guantánamo Bay that the authorities claim were “suicides”,
all of the deceased men had engaged previously in lengthy hunger strikes at the
prison. Lawyers for the prisoners have, however, reported that there have been
some suicide attempts over the past few months.

The hunger strike failed to grab the attention of the mainstream media
until violence entered the equation on 13 April. On the morning after the Red
Cross conveniently left Guantánamo Bay on a visit to monitor the health of the
prisoners, a key part of its purpose, the military command at Guantánamo Bay,
which had previously denied there was a real hunger strike at the prison,
stated that it had tried to forcefully remove prisoners from their cells and
separate hunger strikers, resulting in “violent” clashes – between debilitated men
who had not eaten food for over two months and were “armed” with empty plastic
bottles and broom heads and US military officers who fired plastic bullets at
them – in order to remove the men by force: http://www.southcom.mil/newsroom/Pages/MEDIA-RELEASE-Commander-Orders-Single-Cell-Detention-at-Guantanamo-Bay-for-Continued-Detainee-Health-and-Security.aspx
Lawyers for the prisoners had already reported that the hunger strikers were
being intimidated in various ways to deter them, including by removing personal
items from their cells, separating non-hunger striking prisoners from the
general population, depriving them of clean and regular water, etc. The above
press release shows that the military command has lost considerable control
over the prisoners who are united in their action. This action further exacerbated the “official hunger
strike” as within one week, the US military admitted that many more prisoners “had
joined the hunger strike”. Furthermore, prisoners have reported that more
prisoners are not being force fed due to a lack of equipment and medical
personnel at Guantánamo Bay to deal with the situation. While the hunger strike
has now come to the public attention, this has not led to serious attempts to
remedy either the hunger strike or the situation there: more than eleven years
of imprisonment with charge or trial with no end in sight. It also emerged
shortly afterwards that the White House had been briefed about the cell raid
before it took place: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/04/15/3345952/white-house-was-alerted-ahead.html

As a result the prison has been on almost-complete lockdown since as
well.

Protests have been held all over the world, including Kuwait, Yemen and
a day of protest action took place in over 20 cities in the US on 11 April, as well as a
letter to President Obama signed by 25 US human rights NGOs

Six of the prisoners at Guantánamo Bay face charges and trial by
military commission. Pre-trial hearings in the case of Abd Al-Nashiri, accused
of involvement in attacks on US navy ships in the Gulf area around 2000 were
due to resume in mid-April but have been set back to 11 June after it was
reported that defence legal documents had disappeared from a Pentagon computer
just days before. Al-Nashiri’s lawyers had already asked for the hearing to be postponed
so they could investigate the extent of interference with their legal documents
and e-mails which are confidential, including possible spying. A pre-trial hearing
for five other prisoners accused of involvement in the 9/11 attacks, due to
take place on 22 April, was also set back. http://rt.com/usa/guantanamo-hearing-delayed-documents-710/
Issues over the procedures at “trials” over the past few
months only further demonstrate how absurd the military tribunal process is.

Omar Khadr’s Canadian lawyer has reported that an appeal will be filed
shortly in the US against his 2010 conviction before a military tribunal, for
which he is currently serving the rest of his sentence at the Milhaven
Institution in Canada, where the parole board has recently denied him day
release on the basis that he is a “convicted terrorist”, failing to acknowledge
the circumstances in which the conviction was made. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/canadian-omar-khadr-to-appeal-terrorism-convictions/article11587422/
If his appeal is successful, which it is likely to be in light of the recent
overturning of military tribunal convictions in the US federal courts, Omar
Khadr should be released immediately. However, the Canadian Public Safety
Minister Vic Toews, who also sits on the parole board, has stated that
regardless of the outcome of his appeal, the final decision rests with the
parole board. Not only does Canada not recognise the rule of law or right to a
fair trial for its citizens, or acknowledge international law, but in stating
thus, it is hinting that it is prepared to imprison an innocent man knowingly. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/omar-khadrs-freedom-in-ottawas-hands-despite-us-appeal-safety-minister-insists/article11596038/

The DC Circuit court has allowed the US government to rehear its case
against Yemeni Ali Hamza Al-Bahlul, the only Guantánamo prisoner serving a life
sentence, and who won his appeal earlier this year overturning his conviction.
The US government had three months to appeal and is being allowed to have the
case reheard before an appeal court, and taking in the Hamdan ruling which led
to the first Guantánamo conviction being overturned last year: http://www.lawfareblog.com/2013/04/breaking-news-d-c-circuit-grants-en-banc-rehearing-granted-in-al-bahlul/

Extraordinary rendition:

On 16 April a new report was published by the Constitution Taskforce, “an independent, bipartisan, blue-ribbon
panel charged with examining the federal government’s policies and actions
related to the capture, detention and treatment of suspected terrorists during the Clinton,
Bush and Obama administrations” http://detaineetaskforce.org/report/

The report looks into detention and prisoner treatment in Afghanistan,
Iraq, Guantánamo Bay and elsewhere. The report spoke to various people across
the board, including former prisoners, military and political personnel,
lawyers and analysts, and is critical of detention at Guantánamo Bay and the
use of torture by the US in the “war on terror”.

LGC Activities:

The April LGC “Shut
Down Guantánamo!” demonstration was attended by 6 people. The next
demonstration will be on Thursday 2 May at 12-1pm outside the US Embassy,
Grosvenor Square, W1A and then 1.15-2.15pm outside Speaker’s Corner, Marble
Arch (Hyde Park): http://www.facebook.com/events/595222883835154/
This demonstration will be in solidarity with the Guantánamo hunger strikers.

On 6 April, to mark
the start of the third month of the hunger strike and to highlight the
mainstream media’s failure to acknowledge it, the LGC held a “hunger games”
action involving four groups of volunteers going around well-known tourist
spots in London dressed in orange jumpsuits and black hoods with a relevant
newspaper headline about the hunger strike to raise awareness. Pictures of the
action can be seen at: https://picasaweb.google.com/108979487129034696683/LondonSolidarityAsGuantanamoHungerStrikeEnters3rdMonth6April
Many thanks to all our wonderful volunteers for a very creative and successful
awareness-raising action.

Ms Benjamin led a
discussion on what we can do as a global community about the hunger strike
which has led to the launch of a global day of action about the hunger strike
to coincide with its 100th day on 17 May. Please contact us for more
UK details about that.

Aisha Maniar from
the LGC spoke to the Islam Channel about the hunger strike and the plight of
Shaker Aamer on 18 April. She also spoke to 786 Radio in South Africa about the
hunger strike and contributed to a BBC World Service programme World Have Your
Say broadcast on 21 April http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0175w4c on the closure of Guantánamo.

Please sign the
following petition and statement about the hunger strike:

Monday, April 22, 2013

The LGC held the first demonstration anywhere about the current hunger strike at Guantánamo Bay on 17 March outside the US Embassy in London. While the US Department of Defense currently puts the number of hunger strikers at half of the 166 prisoners still held there and the mainstream media decided that it would only acknowledge the hunger strike more than 2 months after it started when military violence entered the picture on 13 April, the LGC has supported the position of the prisoners' lawyers throughout this non-violent protest, that since 6 February, almost all the prisoners have been on hunger strike: http://ccrjustice.org/files/2013_03_04_Ltr_JTF_Smith_Welsh.pdf

The LGC has held further actions, including a "hunger games" action to raise awareness of the issue and highlight the mainstream media's failure to do so across London on 6 April.

The LGC also held a solidarity demonstration on 18 April in response to the reports of violence that emerged on 13 April. At this demonstration, we were joined by Medea Benjamin from US organisation Code Pink
and the 20 or so people attending held a discussion on what WE can do about the hunger
strike. Many people have already raised this question to us.

Is there any point in taking action on the hunger strike? According to the US organisation World Can't Wait on 18 April: http://www.worldcantwait.net/index.php/torture/8215-guantanamo-silence-deatth "At this writing the Guantanamo hunger strike has surpassed 70 days.
The situation there is ever more urgent after the Saturday April 13th
assault on the hunger strikers. The London Guantanamo Campaign put it
like this, “Either by U.S. military force or organ failure through lack
of food, this hunger strike is likely to become fatal.”....The prisoners' strike has put the illegitimacy of indefinite
detention at GTMO in front of the world. The actions of World Can't Wait
and a few other groups in this country are amplifying their voices. We
must pump up the volume."Watch this space for more details on the international day of fasting, organise your own and get involved!

Monday, April 15, 2013

The London Guantánamo Campaign invites you to an emergency demonstration

outside the US Embassy, Grosvenor Square, London, W1A 1AE

(nearest underground: Bond Street/Marble Arch)

on Thursday 18 April

at 6-8pm

open mic and banners - feel free to bring your own

in support of the Guantánamo Hunger Strikers

now in their third month of protest at

11 years of torture, abuse and arbitrary detention

The current hunger strike at Guantánamo Bay, now in its 11th week,
turned nasty at the weekend, when new orders were issued to separate
prisoners, resulting in an invasion of their cells and plastic bullets
being fired at prisoners allegedly putting up resistance, in spite of
being weakened after 11 weeks without food. Their lawyers report that
some have lost over 30lb in weight in that time and the US Defense
Department states that at least 13 are being force fed. Nearly all the
prisoners are on hunger strike. Most have been held without charge or
trial for over 11 years with little prospect of release.

The prisoners at Guantánamo Bay are protesting with the only means available to them - their bodies. Please join us. Either by US military force or organ failure through lack of food, this hunger strike is likely to become fatal soon. Take action. The US must respond to the hunger strikers' demands for better treatment and a resolution to their situation with positive action, not violence, and the Obama administration must take action to close Guantánamo Bay.

Wednesday, April 03, 2013

#GitmoFreedomStrike Twitterstorm Package!
Objective:
Raise awareness through social media that Guantanamo Bay is still open and
at least 130 of the remaining 166 prisoners have been on hunger strike since 6
February
Date & Time: Saturday, 6 April: 11:00 EST/ 12:00 CST/ 16:00 BST/
17:00 CET
Length: 1 hour
Instructions:
Copy + Paste these tweets. Do not retweet, the hashtag will not trend.
If you are writing your own tweets, make sure to include the
#GitmoFreedomStrike hashtag!
Suggested Tweets:#GitmoFreedomStrike is
the only way out of Guantanamo in a coffin? http://dissenter.firedoglake.com/2013/03/06/a-growing-feeling-here-that-death-is-the-road-out-of-guantanamo/
#GitmoFreedomStrike @BarackObama close Guantanamo or give back your Nobel
peace prize
#GitmoFreedomStrike @barackobama @whitehouse How many years must Guantanamo
exist before the prisoners can be set free?

Whose hunger strike gets more attention?

#GitmoFreedomStrike @barackobama @DeptofDefense 130 prisoners at Guantanamo
close to death: how long can you ignore them? And why?
#GitmoFreedomStrike @barackobama show us a change we can believe in - shut
down Guantanamo, make good on your promise
#GitmoFreedomStrike @guardian @BBCNews @CNN thanks for keeping us in the
dark/ ignorance is strength pic.twitter.com/ykO5XrOqrY
#GitmoFreedomStrike @DeptofDefense @icrc_dc this is a hunger
strike, not Weightwatchers; arbitrary detention, not a prison sentence
#GitmoFreedomStrike hungry for freedom, starving for their rights: 130
Guantanamo prisoners on hunger strike since 6 February
#GitmoHungerStrike @foreignoffice @Number10gov Shaker Aamer lost 30lb, on
hunger strike for 3 months, what are you doing about it?
#GitmoFreedomStrike 11 years without charge or trial, with injustice and
torture, 3 months on hunger strike - close Guantanamo now
-------------------

Why this Twitter storm?
Saturday 6th April marks the third month of the
current hunger strike at Guantánamo Bay, in response to worsening treatment of
prisoners and desperation after over 11 years of detention without charge or
trial for most of the prisoners. While the US military has retracted its
original position denying any hunger strike, it now admits that around 40 men
have been refusing food, with 11 being force fed to keep them alive. Lawyers
for the prisons have consistently put that number at around 130, out of the 166
prisoners still held there; only the weak and elderly are not taking part.

Lawyers having visited their clients recently have reported
that the situation is “increasingly desperate”: the temperature has been turned
down, water is being rationed to the hunger strikers and non-hunger strikers
have been isolated to put pressure on those protesting. Blankets and additional
clothing they may have has also been confiscated from them.

Most of the world is oblivious to what is going on due to
poor reporting in the media. To raise awareness and show solidarity with the
hunger strikers, the London Guantánamo Campaign will be leading an
international Twitter storm at 11:00 EST/ 16:00 BST/ 17:00 CET for one hour.
Further details, including the relevant hashtag and suggested tweets, will be
provided here closer to the time. Please check here on Saturday for further
information and details. You can follow the London Guantánamo Campaign on
Twitter @shutguantanamo

Take action!

We hold a regular monthly demonstration calling for the closure of Guantánamo Bay. Our March demonstration is on Thursday 8 March at 12-2pm outside the US Embassy, 33 Nine Elms Ln, London SW11 7US: https://www.facebook.com/events/975903689224552/

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About Me

The London Guantánamo Campaign has been campaigning since 2006 for the return of all British residents from the Guantánamo Bay prison camp, the release of all prisoners, the closure of this prison and other similar prisons and an end to the practice of extraordinary rendition. Also on Facebook and Twitter.